Page 125 of Out Of A Fix

“That’s what people do,” I said, thinking of the endless wedding I had attended and smiling for whatever reason. My boss was married. I needed to let that sink in.

“But from now on, no matter what, you’re gonna stay with us.”

The kids loved me, and I was an idiot to think I could have ever left them. “That’s my plan.”

“And you’ll move all your stuff in here.”

“It’s not a lot of stuff once you take out my ugly furniture, but yeah.”

Quick inhale of breath. “You’re gonna stay with us and marry Dad, and you guys will be together, and you’ll be here?”

“I will.”

“And you won’t leave?”

He was forever going to worry about people leaving him if he didn’t work through that with his therapist. “You know I won’t ever leave you.”

“I know.”

“Then don’t ask me something so stupid.”

“Okay.”

“Good.”

Eyes on his father now. “And you want all that? To be married to Nash someday?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Griff said, exhaling deeply. “This is really…this is great news.”

“Is it?” Luke asked his son.

“Yeah. I’ve been scared about what would happen when Nash left, and I want you to be happy too, Dad. You need someone who will stay and won’t ever leave you, so…yeah.”

He cleared his throat. “People might say something to you about Nash and me being together, and I want you to be ready for that.”

“Like what? Like my father’s gay? Nobody cares. And besides, all my teachers and my lawyer, and Benny’s mom and Sean’s mom, they all think Nash is crazy hot. It grosses me out, but I’m dealing with it, ya know? I mean, even Dr. Marlowe was all, your father’s partner is a very handsome man.”

“When did I say I was your father’s partner?”

“I think it was…what’s the word?” Griff asked his grandmother.

“Implied,” she offered.

“Yeah. Implied.”

“And it grosses you out?” I asked defensively as Viola started laughing.

“Well, yeah,” Darwin chimed in, having returned to take a seat at the table beside his grandmother. “You’re old, and especially that lawyer, can’t he find someone his own age?”

“Yeah, that guy needs to give it a rest,” Griff assured me. “I mean, he’s a good lawyer, I guess, but I don’t like him touching you and stuff.”

“Nope, don’t like that,” Tatum agreed.

“At all,” Darwin concurred.

I turned to Luke, who grinned at me. “My kids don’t like you getting hit on in the house. I was not a fan either.”